From Goodreads.com: "As a clever girl in
stodgy, mercantile Baltimore, Betsy Patterson dreams of a marriage that
will transport her to cultured Europe. When she falls in love with and
marries Jerome Bonaparte, she believes her dream has come true—until
Jerome’s older brother Napoleon becomes an implacable enemy.

Based on a true story, The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte
is a historical novel that portrays this woman’s tumultuous life.
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, known to history as Betsy Bonaparte,
scandalized Washington with her daring French fashions; visited Niagara
Falls when it was an unsettled wilderness; survived a shipwreck and
run-ins with British and French warships; dined with presidents and
danced with dukes; and lived through the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Yet
through it all, Betsy never lost sight of her primary goal—to win
recognition of her marriage."

My Two Cents:

"The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte" is the story of Betsy, a young woman from a well off family who lives just outside of Baltimore (score one for my fellow Marylanders). She meets Jerome, a man who just happens to be the brother of the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte. They woo and then they marry but things are not quite as they seem at first. Betsy must fight for legitimacy and it is a fight that will take her across oceans and places that she never imagined going.

Betsy is a really interesting character. She is incredibly driven and in a time when she didn't really have a lot of control over her own destiny, it was fascinating to see everything that she went through in this book. I really enjoyed reading about her. I never really knew that Napoleon had a brother so the story of him and Betsy was totally new for me and I love learning something new when I read!

I have to say that I also really enjoyed the historical detail about Maryland in this book. It was cool to see all of these different places that I've known of and have spent time in get the historical fiction treatment. These details really brought the setting to life for me!

For the most part, the writing was good. The pacing was also pretty good but got bogged down in a few spots. There were also some parts in the beginning that felt stiff because there was so much detail crammed into the passages that the book felt stiff. As the story goes on, things do even out. This book is a good pick for historical fiction lovers!

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I have always loved to read. I decided to get into book blogging to share the books I love with other fellow readers! For any questions, comments, concerns or just to chat, shoot me an email at abookishaffair(at)gmail(dot)com ! I usually respond to emails quickly!
All opinions on this blog are my own, regardless of where I got the book!